The "Standard of Ur" from ancient Mesopotamia

03 June 2013

A cruel conquerer's grand Assyrian feast, and a contest

One of the most magnificent feasts in history celebrated the completion of the Assyrian palace in Kalhu (also called Nimrud, a city that once lay north of Baghdad) in 879 B.C.E. (before the Christian era).

King Ashurnasirpal II (image free to use under GNU license)

King Ashurnasirpal II wasted no time upon becoming king of Assyria (part of modern-day Iraq) in roughly 883 B.C.E. Thirsting for war and riches, he immediately invaded north, east, and west, conquering the people there. The Syrians soon rebelled against his savage rule. His response: Burn the small children to death, and mutilate the grown men. Some had their hands and feet cut off; others lost their ears, noses, and lips.

Content that no one would revolt again, Ashurnasirpal II took his plunder home to Assyria and celebrated by forcing thousands of slaves to build him a luxurious new capital city at Kalhu. When the palace—built from imported luxury woods, limestone, and alabaster—was completed in 879 B.C.E., he held a feast for nearly 70,000 people from several countries that lasted 10 days.

According to Ashurnasirpal's own words, the supplies he ordered for the banquet included:

1,000 fattened head of cattle

1,000 calves

10,000 stable sheep

15,000 lambs

200 head of cattle (for offerings to the goddess Ishtar)

1,000 sihhu-sheep (for offerings to Ishtar)

1,000 spring lambs

500 gazelles

1,000 ducks

500 geese

500 kurku-geese (possibly cranes)

1,000 mesuku-birds (a bird of prey)

1,000 qaribu-birds (possibly crows)

10,000 doves

10,000 sukanunu-doves (possibly turtle doves)

10,000 other assorted small birds

10,000 assorted fish

10,000 jerboa

10,000 eggs

10,000 jars of beer

100 containers of fine mixed beer

10,000 imported skins of wine

1,000 wood crates of vegetables

300 containers of oil

100 pistachio cones

Unfortunately, Ashurnasirpal II failed to succumb to his high-fat, high-cholesterol, low-nutrient diet, either at his feast or later. He lived to crush his neighbors and create wall reliefs depicting these conquests for another 20 years.

Ashurnasirpal II is remembered today for two reasons: his great feast and his great brutality.

✥✥✥✥✥

This blog post is part of the Summer Banquet Blog Hop, in which 31 authors of historical fiction blog about historical food in the first week of June. The following authors are taking part; click on a name to see that person's post.

Many of the Summer Blog Hoppers are also offering prizes, including me. To enter to win one of two Kindle or Nook versions of my historical novel Like Mayflies in a Stream, set in ancient Mesopotamia, comment below or like my Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shauna-Roberts-author/194876117254102?ref=hl. Winners of prizes at all blogs will be announced on 10 June 2013.

ROZ, I can't even imagine the logistics of putting on such an event. Some of the other posts in the blog hop also describe similarly huge and meat-laden feasts. I'm glad I wasn't present as either a guest or a kitchen worker.

"Unfortunately, Ashunarsipal II failed to succumb..." I loved that! In Sweden we actually have a king who did die while feasting, this after having finished off his dinner with three dozen or so of Lenten buns (a baked goods consisting of a sweet wheat bun filled with marzipan and whipped cream)

ANNA BELFRAGE, your story reminds me of an Englishman who died at a feast because his bladder exploded. Lots of wine was served, and apparently it was rude to go to the privy while the king was still sitting at the banquet.

SHARON LATHON, LOL. And it wasn't just the food that had to be collected. Presumably they needed a lot of new cooking pots and tables and chairs and servants to handle such a dinner. And all this in a country with no wood or mineral resources (except in the lands they conquered).

Most plants were hard to grow in Mesopotamia because of the high heat and low rainfall. They did eat lots and lots of dates, though. And they had irrigated fields for growing barley and wheat for beer and bread.